Château de Beaucastel
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When Pierre Tramier took over Château de Beaucastel in 1909 and later handed it over to his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, he laid the foundations for a very special success story. For 110 years, the Perrin family has been one of the most important innovators and guardians of quality viticulture in the Rhône.
The history of the Perrin family and their Château de Beaucastel is unique. It is based in Courthezon, one of the most famous places within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. And it was Châteauneuf-du-Pape that helped the family achieve world fame. The scientist Pierre Perrin took the first steps by considerably expanding the vineyard from the 1920s onwards. More decisive, however, was the achievement of his son Jacques Perrin between 1956 and 1978, when he introduced organic viticulture and became involved with biodynamics in the 1960s. As unusual as this type of cultivation seemed at the time, his method of winemaking was also original, as Jacques introduced short maceration to make the must, and therefore the later wine, more stable and long-lasting, while at the same time avoiding the need for large amounts of sulphur. He was such a good cellar master that he worked as a consultant throughout the region.
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine-growing region in the southern Rhône has long been one of those where tradition and vision go hand in hand. While it can look back on a long history of winegrowing, which first reached its peak during the time of the Avignon popes, at the beginning of the 20th century the winegrowers ensured quality assurance in Châteauneuf-du-Pape with clear rules for the cultivation of the vines and the ageing of the wines. This is how the current appellation system in France came into being. On this basis, the now legendary Jacques Perrin developed his own, much more far-reaching ideas of a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the style of which he perfected over the years. From the very beginning, the 13 authorised grape varieties of the appellation formed the basis, all of which are still used today in the Perrin family's Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Unusually, the wine is dominated by Mourvèdre, which matures in the vineyards of Beaucastel in the ideal location to combine a certain Nordic coolness and freshness with southern vigour and complexity.
What Jacques Perrin initiated is being continued by the current fifth generation with a visionary concept for the future of Beaucastel. In a competition in which 400 architectural firms from all over the world took part, the aim was to come up with ideas for a winery in which sustainability is not just a buzzword, but the basis for all further considerations. The Indian studio Mumbai of architect Bijoy Jain finally won the year-long process of developing ideas, realising the concept of using wind, water and sun, which is inconspicuous on the outside but revolutionary on the inside.
Tradition, modernity and a view to the future play an equal role in the family, whose projects have been managed since 1978 by Jean-Pierre and François and today by Marc, Pierre, Thomas and Matthieu. The success of this endeavour is demonstrated not only by the high ratings of the Beaucastel wines, but also by the success of Domaine Miraval, for whose wines they are responsible as well as for the Domaine du Clos des Tourelles, Famille Perrin and La Vieille Ferme lines.
© Photos: Château de Beaucastel